U.S. spy plane crashes in southwest Asia, pilot dies

A U.S. U-2 spy plane crashed in southwestern Asia on Tuesday night, reports AP. The pilot of the plane died in the crash.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement, that the spy plane crashed in southwest Asia, but didn’t specify the location of the crash because of security reasons. The pilot's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, reports Bloomberg.

According to the Central Command’s statement, the pilot had completed a mission in support of the U.S.-led operation in Afghanistan, Enduring Freedom, and was returning to base when the crash occurred at 8:30 Greenwich Mean Time. The only thing about the pilot mentioned in the statement shows that he served in the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The airmen of the wing “mourn the loss of a true American hero in the service of his country”, Colonel Darryl Burke, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, said in the statement.

The U2 Spy Plane has one the highest mission completion rates in the U.S. Air Force despite the fact that the aircraft is the most difficult to fly due to its unusually challenging takeoff and landing characteristics. Due to its high-altitude mission, the pilot must wear a full pressure suit. The U2 Spy Plane is a single-seat, single-engine, high-altitude, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.

Long, narrow, straight wings give the U-2 glider-like characteristics and allow it to lift heavy sensor payloads to unmatched high altitudes quickly, and keep them there for a long time. The U2 Spy Plane is capable of collecting multi-sensor photo, electro-optic, infrared and radar imagery, as well as collecting signals intelligence data. It can down link all data, except wet film, in near real-time to anywhere in the world, providing war planners with the latest intelligence possible, informs Militaryfactory.com.